How to monetize an Android app

There are three basic approaches to monetizing an Android app. This article will show you what they are.

There are three basic approaches to monetizing an Andromo app: you can make money by showing ads, you can charge money for the app itself, or you can be paid as a consultant to make an app for someone else.

Advertising

Making money with advertising is very straightforward. You simply sign up for an account with a supported ad network, enter an ID that they give you into your Andromo project settings, and then publish your app with that ad network enabled.

The details vary a bit for each ad network, but in general you earn money whenever the user sees an ad they like and click on it.

You get to offer your users a free app, in return for seeing ads that support your app development.

I built a Super Bowl app the night before the game and made $150 in AdMob advertisements overnight. – turbomike

Paid apps

One of the most direct methods of monetization is to charge money for your apps. The most common approach is also the easiest: you simply publish your app in the Google Play market, sign up for a Google merchant account, and set a price for your app.

It may also be worth considering placing your app for sale in other markets, such as the Amazon Appstore. (You can automatically adjust your Andromo app for Amazon compliance by changing the Target setting on the App Info tab in your project.)

The next step is to help potential customers find your app. There are many ways to accomplish this, from using social networks like Twitter and Facebook, to building free apps in order to cross promote your paid apps. Generally speaking, in order for an app to succeed, you will need to devote some time to marketing the app.

Paid apps work best when you have something unique to offer in terms of content or the service that your app provides.

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to make money selling apps, consider Edward Kim’s story of making $57,000/month selling apps on the Android market. Although not typical, it’s a spectacular example of what can be accomplished with the right idea and execution.

As he points out, “Mobile app development is a great way for founders to take their first swing at building a company without risking a ton of time and money.” The shorter lifespan of an app that he describes (compared to that of an average company) is all the more reason to take advantage of the quick turnaround you can achieve using a service like Andromo.

Consulting

Making money as a consultant involves making promotional apps for others. Generally you will need a sense of design, graphic editing skills, and an ability to find potential clients. Instead of focusing on coming up with ideas for apps, you will put most of your effort into finding businesses and individuals who would benefit from a promotional app and are willing to pay for one. You’ll collect their content, guide them through the process of setting up any news feeds or blogs for their app, and then put together an app using Andromo that is attractive and polished.

About Andromo

Andromo is a website that lets anyone turn an idea into an Android app. It auto-magically transforms simple online settings into custom Java source code, compiling and linking it using Google’s official Android SDK. You get a stand-alone, native Android app that follows the Android design guidelines and is indistinguishable from an app that was coded by hand.

If you can use the web, you can use Andromo to turn your ideas into successful Android apps.